Service user involvement in practitioner education: movement politics and transformative change

This paper will attempt to both celebrate key developments and best practice involving the users of health and social care services in programmes of practitioner education in a UK context, and offer a critical appraisal of the extent to which such initiatives meet some of the more transformative objectives sought by service users activists for change. The approach is largely that of a discussion paper but we illustrate some of the themes relating to movement activism with selected data. These data relate to earlier research and two specially convened focus groups within the Comensus initiative at the University of Central Lancashire; itself constituted as piece of participatory action research. We conclude that universities represent paradoxical sites for the facilitation of debate and learning relevant to key issues of social justice and change. As such, they are places that can impede or support movement aims. Particular strategic responses might be more likely to engender progressive outcomes. These ought to include the presence of critically engaged academic staff operating within a scholarly culture that fosters forms of deliberative democratic decision making

Structure and electronic properties of the quasi-one-dimensional Ba₂Co₁₋ₓZnₓS₃ series

This work focuses on the structure and physical properties of the solid solution Ba₂Co₁₋ₓZnₓS₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), a family of quasi-one-dimensional sulfides with end members Ba₂CoS₃ and Ba₂ZnS₃. The structure of selected compounds with increasing Zn²⁺ content has been analysed using, neutron diffraction, TEM and EXAFS and the physical properties via magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements. The progressive substitution of the non-magnetic Zn²⁺ cation for Co²⁺ rapidly destroys the antiferromagnetic transition present at 46 K in the quasi one-dimensional Ba₂CoS₃, leading to paramagnetic behaviour down to the lowest investigated temperature (5K) for compounds with x > 0.25. For compounds with x ≥ 0.4, a pure CW regime is recovered around 300 K, yielding effective moments consistent with the g factor of the tetrahedrally coordinated Co²⁺ previously determined for Ba₂CoS₃. The Zn²⁺/Co²⁺ substitution also removes the metallic-like behaviour of Ba₂CoS₃ causing an increase in the value of the resistivity with all the Ba₂Co₁₋ₓZnₓS₃ compounds showing semiconducting behaviour. The negative magnetoresistance of Ba₂CoS₃ is improved by the Zn²⁺/Co²⁺ substitution, with values of – 6% for Ba₂Co₀.₇₅Zn₀.₂₅S₃, – 9% for Ba₂Co₀.₅Zn₀.₅S₃ and – 8% for Ba₂Co₀.₂₅Zn₀.₇₅S₃. However, there does not seem to be a correlation between the values of the resistivity and the magnetoresistance and the content of Zn²⁺, leading to the hypothesis that transport properties may be linked more closely to extrinsic properties

Palm yellows phytoplasmas and their genetic classification

Palm yellows phytoplasmas have been a subject of debate because of two recent outbreaks. Firstly, a lethal yellowing-type phytoplasma disease was recorded on a number of palm species of mainly the genus Phoenix in Florida in 2008. Shortly afterwards, Sabal palmetto which has never been threatened by a phytoplasma before, was suddenly attacked by a phytoplasma strain similar to the one that attacked Phoenix in 2008. Both these recent outbreaks have made phytoplasmologists realize the need to characterize palm phytoplasma strains in order to rapidly determine the phytoplasma palm yellows in future disease outbreaks. Various workers have made attempts to genetically characterize palm phytoplasmas but a lot of crucial knowledge is still lacking. This review focuses on the little progress that has been made to characterize palm phytoplasmas and we also recommend further steps to provide more tools for characterization.Keywords: Cocos nucifera, palm yellows phytoplasmas, Sabal palmetto, Phoenix.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(22), pp. 3376-338

Differences between the Texas phoenix palm phytoplasma and the coconut lethal yellowing phytoplasma revealed by restriction fragement length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the NUSA and HFLB genes

A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to amplify the nusA gene from a DNA sample extracted from a cabbage or sabal (Sabal palmetto) palm showing symptoms of Texas Phoenix decline (TPD) and from three DNA samples from coconut (Cocos nucifera) palms showing symptoms of lethal yellowing (LY). TPD is caused by a 16SrIV-D phytoplasma and LY by a 16SrIV-A strain. From the sabal DNA sample and from one coconut DNA sample two copies of the hflB gene were amplified by nested PCR. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms analysis of the PCR-amplified nusA and the hflB gene copies showed that these genes vary in the phytoplasma strains examined. Four restriction enzymes were used for the nusA gene and 16 were used for the hflB genes.Keywords: nusA, hflB, phytoplasma, Texas Phoenix declineAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(25), pp. 3934-393

A phylogenetic study of endo-beta-1,4-glucanase in higher termites

Cellulose is the most abundant polymer in the world and termites are the most important metazoan cellulose processors. Termites are divided into lower and higher termites, with the latter being the most derived and most specious. Although termites are known for their ability to digest wood, members of the family Termitidae (higher termites) are nutritionally diverse in their use of cellulose. This study investigated the evolution of endogenous cellulases in 25 species of higher termites, using phylogenetic inferences from mitochondrial (16S) and nuclear (28S) ribosomal RNA and endo-β-1,4-glucanase sequences. The translated endo-β-1,4-glucanase amino acid order in all 41 sequences obtained showed high similarity to endo-β-1,4-glucanases in the glycosyl hydrolase family 9. The inferred endo-β-1,4-glucanase phylogenetic tree showed congruency with the mitochondrial/nuclear tree, with the fungus-growers being the most basal group and the soil/litter- and wood/lichen/grass/litter-feeders being the most distal diphyletic feeding groups. The bacterial comb-grower formed a separate clade from the fungus-growers and is sister groups with the soil/litter- and wood/lichen/grass/litter-feeders. There was also a strong diphyletic relationship between endo-β-1,4-glucanases of upper layer soil-feeders and the other soil-feeders. Within the monophyletic wood/lichen/grass/litter-feeding termites’ subclade, the nasutitermitines were polyphyletic and a strong diphyletic relationship was observed in the most distal lichen- and the grass/litter-feeders groups

Modelling chemotactic motion of cells in biological tissue with applications to embryogenesis

Perhaps one of the most amazing events that occurs in nature, is in the emergence and growth of biological life. Emergence speaks of the well-coined phrase Primordial ooze from which the chemical building blocks of life first gave rise to the complicated molecular structure of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), that has the mind boggling task of encoding every chemical and physical attribute and trait of the organism for which it is encoded. This incredible feat of nature is only equalled by the ability of single fertilized cell (zygote) to undergo a seemingly magical transformation through enlargement, growth and change to give rise to a fully formed animal (or plant). The study and body of knowledge of this latter process is called Developmental Biology, and it seeks to define and explain all of the intricate sub-stages and bio-chemical, molecular and physical processes along the time-line of this transformation, that is from fertilization to birth, hatching or germination and beyond. One might consider, and quite reasonably, that the variety of different processes leading to the development of a complete biological organism would be so vast as to render the problem untenable. Indeed the almost inconceivable amount of genetic information contained within the nucleus of the simplest of cells would seem to corroborate this assumption. However when one takes a more holistic view, we can see that the development of any complex biological organism can be reduced to a set of five distinct processes, all of which are orchestrated to define structures from a body of cells. Viewed in this light the generation of any complex multi-cellular organism, be it small or large, must involve: cell-division, differentiation, pattern formation, change in form and growth [1]. To mediate and orchestrate these different processes during the development of the embryo are a enumerable number of bio-chemicals that are produced within the cells that can diffuse into the surrounding environment, activating (and de-activating) inter/intra-cellular signalling pathways that trigger further productions and possibly one or more of the processes suggested above. One such case of this, and which is of particular interest in this thesis, is in the role of morphogens in the growth of vertebrate embryos, where it is known that interacting morphogen gradients can give rise to spatially stable concentrations [2] that are known to be involved in organ growth [3], primitive streak formation [4] and the extension and patterning of the primary body axis [5, 6, 7]. In this thesis we are considering one such problem involving these mechanisms/processes, during the primary body axis extension in the chick embryo. During this phase of development the early brain is beginning to form and the central nervous system (CNS) is beginning to extend unilaterally in a posterior direction defining the main anteroposterior (head to tail) body axis; in simple terms one may see this as the generation of the spinal cord and surrounding structures. Extension of this axis is known to be orchestrated by a small cellular structure located at the posterior-most tip of the extension, encompassing what is known as the primary organising centre in the chick embryo: Hensen’s node. This structure including the node is known to move independently/autonomously of the rest of the embryo and as it does so the cells in the region are growing and proliferating, and ultimately differentiating and leaving this region to literally fuel the axial extension. This broad description leads us to the heart of our thesis, and which will preoccupy the rest of this dissertation. We postulate that the motile behaviour of the group is as a result of biochemical gradients to which the group is attracted toward areas of highest concentration or towards areas of lowest concentration of some as yet unnamed morphogen. That is we assume that the group moves as a result of a chemotaxis. Furthermore, the growth and subsequent differentiation of cells exiting the group, contributing to the growth of the CNS, are also regulated by the same morphogen. Therefore we propose that a singular bio-chemical mechanism can account for the motile and growth behaviour observed during CNS extension

Modelling and systematic analysis of interactive systems

Two aspects of our research concern the application of formal methods in human-computer interaction. The first aspect is the modelling and analysis of interactive devices with a particular emphasis on the user device dyad. The second is the modelling and analysis of ubiquitous systems where there are many users, one might say crowds of users.The common thread of both is to articulate and prove properties of interactive systems, to explore interactive behaviour as it influences the user, with a particular emphasis on interaction failure. The goal is to develop systematic techniques that can be packaged in such a way that they can be used effectively by developers. This “whitepaper” will briefly describe the two approaches and their potential value as well as their limitations and development opportunities

The strategic development of one man and his business : A reflexive approach.

This study is about the author as a business owner manager and events surrounding my buy-in of a small business and its subsequent development. The nature of the research evolved from a proposed causal approach concerning the growth of small businesses in general, to become an enquiry into the evolution of my own company and the development I experienced as the researcher and owner over the course of the enquiry. It is a reflexive study, presented in the form of a self-narrative covering a span of around fifteen years.Literature within the dominant paradigm is examined for its usefulness in describing the expected characteristics of small businesses and their owner managers but the lack of explanation behind these descriptions prompted the move to a more appropriate and effective research design. Inspired by complexity theory the study moves beyond the notion of systems thinking, to adopt a view of the company as a social construction of complex responsive processes.The importance of emotions and the pressure of family issues in influencing decision making in a nascent entrepreneur form the starting point from which the story of the buy-in and subsequent management of my small businesses develops. The story is constructed around four themes of Entrepreneurship, Culture and Leadership, Strategy and Growth. Interspersed within the narrative are appropriate contributions from the literature, which serve as a framework within which to analyse my experiences as they occurred.By observing one small business and its owner and contrasting these experiences directly with the literature, the findings confirm the complex and contextual nature of the subject. The dominant theories are useful in retrospectively describing the characteristics of a business and its owner manager but not in explaining the driving forces behind these characteristics. The original contribution to knowledge of this research results from the deep insight into these forces using a reflexive methodology and the application of complex responsive process concepts, which forms a new approach to the study of small business development. Individual entrepreneurs may use these methods and findings to reflect on their own experiences and approach to managing their businesses